Device for aerial warfare.



CJLD I Ayn aw 53y C. F. JENKINS. DEVICE FOR AERIAL WARFARE.

A APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, I9I5- Patented Feb. 29,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

C. F. JENKINS.

DEVICE FOR AERIAL WARFARE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, I9I5.

1,173,522. Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

V 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- MD naw CHARLES FRANCIS JENKINS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

DEVICE FOR AERIAL WARFARE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

, Application filed March 22, 1915. Serial No. 16,278.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES FRANCIS JENKINS, citizen of the United States, residing at 5502 Sixteenth street, VVashington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Aerial Warfare, of which the following is a specification.

This device relates to apparatus for offense and defense inaerial warfare and has for its principal object means for automatically releasing and guiding a charge of explosives toa predetermined given object against which the charge is intended to explode, and a further object of rendering said explosive harmless in certain conditions. These objects are more specifically described in the, accompanying drawings and specification in which- Figure 1 shows the device set; Fig. 2 an enlarged view of the explosive container and. the means for supporting it; Fig. 3 the same in released position; Fig. l the set device in action .Fig. 5 a modified form, and Fig. 6 the device suspended from an areoplane.

Like symbols refer to like parts in all the drawings, and in which- A is a balloon tethered to the earth by suitable means, such as a stout wire B; C a charge of suitable explosive supported uponand arranged to freely move along B when released by a catch D. The catch D is secured elastically (as by means of the coil spring E) to the wire B at any prede-- termined place, and may as shown, he aspring-like member D having hooks at its lower. end engaging a flanged head F secured to the charge container 0 in such manner that on a sharp jerk of the wire 13 the hooks will be disengaged and the charge C released, and by reason of its weight will fall rapidly along the wire B.

Assuming that the apparatus is in working position, as in Fig. 1, its operation is as follows: On the contact of any swift moving object, as for example aeroplane G, a sharp jerk releases the hooks of the weight of the charge and, being elastic, they spring open as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The charge of explosive is then free to fall, and, because the wire B is taut between the balloon and the impacting areoplane, the charge is guided swiftly against the latter whereupon the charge is exploded by the detonating fixed on the wire at some distance above the earth and when the charge strikes this stop it explodes harmlessly in the air. Again if the container should get loose from the sustaining wire the elongated detonating device H would cause the container to turn over and strike the earth upside down with less probability of its exploding and doing harm.

In using the apparatus, if it is .desired to protect against an air attack on a public building, public works, or any other object, a cordon of these captive balloons are anchored at a suitable distance from and all around the object to be so protected, and with each of them carrying an explosive charge it will be impossible for an aerial machine to find its way into offensive position above the protected object, the tethering wires being absolutely invisible at night and almost absolutely invisible in the day time. As the principal object of this invention is to definitely guide an" explosive charge into certain contact with a given object, it is obvious that any means which will hold this wire taut between the sustaining means and the object of attack is sulficient. For example it would be possible to release a great number of these balloons singly or simultaneously each equipped with a long depending wire or several of them from the lower end of which pronged anchors K are suspended. These anchors being carried rapidly skyward and more or less laterally are intended to engage exposed parts of an areoplane or dirigible balloon and when they do so engage the sudden stopping of the wire has the same effect to release the explosive as a sharp blow against the wire when the balloon is captive.

It would be desirable to fasten planes L set diagonally on the shaft of the anchor tomake the anchors spread out as the bal loon rapidly lifts them. It is also obvious that a flying machine M could drag these anchors over a fort, a battleship, balloon N or the like and which when engaged would give the wire a sudden jerk releasing the explosive charge which is thereupon guided directly to the object of contact while the aeroplane meantime travels upward or onward paying out the wire (until the explosion occurs) from a frictionally held drum S on the aeroplane M in exactly the same manner as the paying out of a line on a fishing rod when a trout is hooked. Such a frictionally held drum is of such common knowledge that it is thought no detailed explanation thereof is necessary. Or the grappling hooks might be balloon-supported after being pulled entirely free from the friction drum of the supporting aeroplane and the wire held taut by the balloon T until the explosion occurs.

I claim 1. In a device of the class described, an aerial supporting means, held captive to the earth by a tethering member, a bomb detachably suspended from said supporting means- 3. In a device of the class described, an aerial supporting means, held captive to the earth by a tethering member, a bomb detachably suspended from said supporting means and arranged to move freely along the tethering member when released from said supporting means, and means for making said bomb harmless before it reaches the earth whenever it becomes accidentally disengaged from the supporting means.

'4. In a device of the class described, an aerial supporting means, a wire depending therefrom and armed with grappling hooks, a bomb detachably fixed thereon and arranged to be released and move along said wire when the hooks engage the object of attack.

5. In a device of the class. described, a

primary aerial supporting means, a secondary supporting means, a wire attached to both said supporting means grappling hooks on said wire, a bomb detachably fixed on, and arranged to move along said wire when said hooks engage the object of attack, and means for releasing the wire from the primary supporting means.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES FRANCIS JENKINS. Witnesses:

JAMES L. CRAWFORD, C. SNIFFIN. 

